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Think SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,Timely)

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you
there! If you have no destination, it means whether you take a left turn, or
right turn you will get there… cause you are not going anywhere specific.
Whether you move or don't make any move.. you will get there.

Setting personal goals is very important in life. Its almost
like deciding what destination you are heading towards, and planning what you
need and how you will get there… Once you set your goals what will make them
easier to achieve is making sure that they are SMART goals.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals are;

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

i)
Specific:
A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general
goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who: Who
is involved?

*What: What
do I want to accomplish?

*Where: Identify
a location.

*When: Establish
a time frame.

*Which: Identify
requirements and constraints.

*Why: Specific
reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE: A
general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a
health club and workout 3 days a week.”

ii) Measurableestablish
concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you
set.

When you
measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and
experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued
effort required to reach your goal.

To determine
if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……

How much? How
many?

How will I
know when it is accomplished?

iii) AttainableWhen you identify goals that are
most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come
true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to
reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring
yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

You can
attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a
time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed
far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not
because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When
you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of
these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess
them.

iv) Realistic To be realistic, a
goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able
to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can
decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents
substantial progress.

A high goal
is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low
motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually
seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

v) TimelyA
goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it
there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to
lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by
May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on
the goal.

Your goal is
probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.
Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have
accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would
have to exist to accomplish this goal.

T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it
with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing.

When
your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and
measurable and thus attainable.

Aunt Sadaka is here for you

About Aunt Sadaka

Aunt Sadaka is a trained counselor with over 10 years experience in councelling
and coaching young girls in various issues. She is here to share with you her advice and experience. Ask her any question you may have, she will answer you and she assures you of confidentiality.